BA Strike - Your Thoughts & Questions
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As much as I would like to see the strikes called off, I am hoping WW does not reinstate the ST.
They were warned that ST would be withdrawn for those that chose to strike, so in my mind they must suffer the consequences.
TW's request to WW just reeks of desperation from a union that's on the ropes.
They were warned that ST would be withdrawn for those that chose to strike, so in my mind they must suffer the consequences.
TW's request to WW just reeks of desperation from a union that's on the ropes.
Sadly I don't think it was desperation, it was tactically, a good move by TW.
TW knew that by yesterday saying that the talks would resume today but then having to backtrack today (presumably thanks to BASSA) was a PR disaster, and he could no longer claim that WW's intransigence was the reason for the strike.
Now with this "magnanimous" offer he's got the media firmly back onside that WW is "the problem".
Not true as we all know on here, but the media appear constantly willing to believe BASSA/Unite spin.
TW knew that by yesterday saying that the talks would resume today but then having to backtrack today (presumably thanks to BASSA) was a PR disaster, and he could no longer claim that WW's intransigence was the reason for the strike.
Now with this "magnanimous" offer he's got the media firmly back onside that WW is "the problem".
Not true as we all know on here, but the media appear constantly willing to believe BASSA/Unite spin.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is becoming a farce. The two union secretaries are as inept as it is possible to be and are clearly out of their depth with WW. It has repeatedly been pointed out that they cannot be taken seriously and are being led around the stable like headless chickens. BASSA doing the leading with someone who should NOT be leading them. He is NOT employed by BA anymore - they have said so. Yet he is encouraging them to chant whatever he dictates. There is something rotten with BASSA and it stinks.
Willie will fly tomorrow and has chosen not to fall for Woodley's cheap shot this afternoon. He will I am sure be ready with a plan that will, once and for all see BASSA into the swamp they have been heading for.
Willie will fly tomorrow and has chosen not to fall for Woodley's cheap shot this afternoon. He will I am sure be ready with a plan that will, once and for all see BASSA into the swamp they have been heading for.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: uk
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Derek's tweets
Latest tweets from dereksimpsonjgs. This is a strange way to conduct a dispute.
Willy Walsh claiming Unite refused a meeting despite BA saying earlier they were not bothered about meeting today but maybe next week!!
No wonder Willy is upset by tweets seems when the issue get out other than by his media some light is shed on the real issues
To those who think this BA dispute is about travel 'perks' it isn't there are serious issues to sort out our offer was to give time to do so
Restoring travel fully having vindictively withdrawn it would not cost BA anything ... But they have chosen to let the strike happen
No doubt Willy will be blaming Unite for disrupting passengers when all he had to do at no cost was to give back what he had taken
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 586
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Plane speak:
Thank you for the post.
At times I have to shake my head at how poorly these "leaders" communicate.
This comment
works in BA's favor. First Unite is claiming that its almost a done deal, just give us our staff travel and we can wrap this up in a couple of days, then we hear that the situation is serious.
Unite and BASSA have no idea what's going on with each other let alone BA.
I'm most pleased for the majority of hard working Cabin Crew who backed BA and worked during the last strikes. To give back staff travel voluntarily would have been a serious blow to morale.
Thank you for the post.
At times I have to shake my head at how poorly these "leaders" communicate.
This comment
To those who think this BA dispute is about travel 'perks' it isn't there are serious issues to sort out our offer was to give time to do so
Unite and BASSA have no idea what's going on with each other let alone BA.
I'm most pleased for the majority of hard working Cabin Crew who backed BA and worked during the last strikes. To give back staff travel voluntarily would have been a serious blow to morale.
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Scotland
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Customer Service
Rant over, I am sure it will come some time and I DO understand that my probs are trivial in the scale of things !!!
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The 40,000 ft View .........
It is abundantly clear that we are observing the desperate last throes of a so called Union (a more dysfunctional and disparate group, SWP among them, has seldom been seen before) in what has been a monumental 40+ year power struggle between Union & Management.
While their business and first class customers were prepared to pay premium prices, providing 70+% of its operating profits, BA could carry its highly paid cabin crew and didn't have to concern itself dealing with the problem. However, the economic climate has changed and the profligate times are now over.
During the next few days the Union's responses will become increasingly confused and incoherent as the desperation builds and the realisation that the game is over dawns. The intelligent ones among them, like McCluskey, will realise this and jump ship while the less intelligent, including the rank and file members and popular press, will increase their spurious and meaningless disconnected rhetoric and confused sensationalist reporting failing hopelessly to follow the realities of the unfolding situation.
Management will simply hold its course and will defeat and remove all aspects of the old Union control thus finally regaining control of its business.
It's been a fascinating, once in a lifetime, opportunity to watch the whole thing unfold knowing it will become a classic episode in the annals of IR time.
Upon hearing the latest news even the volcano has just shown its support giving BA Management a clear sign it is time to move forwards.
Pure history in the making.
While their business and first class customers were prepared to pay premium prices, providing 70+% of its operating profits, BA could carry its highly paid cabin crew and didn't have to concern itself dealing with the problem. However, the economic climate has changed and the profligate times are now over.
During the next few days the Union's responses will become increasingly confused and incoherent as the desperation builds and the realisation that the game is over dawns. The intelligent ones among them, like McCluskey, will realise this and jump ship while the less intelligent, including the rank and file members and popular press, will increase their spurious and meaningless disconnected rhetoric and confused sensationalist reporting failing hopelessly to follow the realities of the unfolding situation.
Management will simply hold its course and will defeat and remove all aspects of the old Union control thus finally regaining control of its business.
It's been a fascinating, once in a lifetime, opportunity to watch the whole thing unfold knowing it will become a classic episode in the annals of IR time.
Upon hearing the latest news even the volcano has just shown its support giving BA Management a clear sign it is time to move forwards.
Pure history in the making.
Last edited by Phil Rigg; 23rd May 2010 at 19:42.
I read somewhere today that one of the so-called grievances was that cabin crew staffing on long haul had been reduced from 15 to 14....
Hang on a minute. The EASA-OPS requirement is 'one per 50 passengers or fraction thereof'. Just how many 700 seat aircraft do ba operate?
Other carriers have far fewer cabin staff, all of whom receive far less pay than ba cabin staff. So it would surely be in the best interests of ba cabin crew to STFU, tell BASSA to **** off and get back to work.
I had to change flights last week after a Lufthansa flight to FRA went U/S. All later Lufthansa C-class seats from FRA back to the UK were fully booked - according to the ticket folk they've been seeing a significant upswing ever since these stupid union idiots at ba started killing off the goose that lays their golden eggs.... Fortunately I was able to get a taxi (which Lufthansa paid for) to MUC and fly home later that night.
ba - please listen. People are deserting you in droves simply because your service is becoming so unreliable. No fault of 't management, everything to do with these flint-voiced northern communists of the 1970s who are intent on wrecking the airline.
Time to give BASSA the kicking it undoubtedly deserves! Good luck, Willy!
Hang on a minute. The EASA-OPS requirement is 'one per 50 passengers or fraction thereof'. Just how many 700 seat aircraft do ba operate?
Other carriers have far fewer cabin staff, all of whom receive far less pay than ba cabin staff. So it would surely be in the best interests of ba cabin crew to STFU, tell BASSA to **** off and get back to work.
I had to change flights last week after a Lufthansa flight to FRA went U/S. All later Lufthansa C-class seats from FRA back to the UK were fully booked - according to the ticket folk they've been seeing a significant upswing ever since these stupid union idiots at ba started killing off the goose that lays their golden eggs.... Fortunately I was able to get a taxi (which Lufthansa paid for) to MUC and fly home later that night.
ba - please listen. People are deserting you in droves simply because your service is becoming so unreliable. No fault of 't management, everything to do with these flint-voiced northern communists of the 1970s who are intent on wrecking the airline.
Time to give BASSA the kicking it undoubtedly deserves! Good luck, Willy!
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It is the strikers that should be cold-shouldered now
Call100. The amount of messaging going on is exactly in proprtion to the disgust felt by most normal passengers to the absurdity of the BASSA point of view. The BBC - bless them - is filled with pinkies and lefties who could not take a balanced view on anything to do with business and working practices. They, themselves, are part of the gravy train funded by you and me with ridiculously high salaries paid to people of indifferent skills and leaning like a drunken union man to the left. No chance of a balanced view there. The election coverage was just as left leaning and they are all terrified of being the next target for large savings and staff cuts.
In due course the customer will win and most of the strikers will have to look for another job. This is 2010 not 1970! Hey ho, the BBC next - that sounds good.
In due course the customer will win and most of the strikers will have to look for another job. This is 2010 not 1970! Hey ho, the BBC next - that sounds good.
Does the existence of such a new ballot process mean Mr. Walsh and BA cannot do ANYTHING in the interim legally? Is it a sort of a legal hamstring that BASSA/Unite can put on BA on June 12th (even if they have no intenton of striking).
Is BA legally blocked from taking any actions toward staff whilst they are in the process of balloting?
Is BA legally blocked from taking any actions toward staff whilst they are in the process of balloting?
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Thailand
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
are you referring to older Cabin Crew who have been flying for a good number of years and have a lot of essential experience under their belts?
Yes, I think that's them.
And just about everyone I know thinks that if they're striking, they should be flying out of the BA door with a foot up their arses.
Last edited by ChicoG; 24th May 2010 at 08:26.
Yes Baggers, it is (though BA will have to pay basic salary on the non-strike days). That's exactly what BA did last time. The loss of allowances over that period will mean the strikers will lose quite a lot of cash, poor dears 
.
Besides financially penalising the strikers, it will also make flight scheduling far easier for BA once they have derostered all of the strikers and have some degree of certainty over how many staff will be available. Therefore, BA should be able to increase the flight schedule as the strike progresses.
. Besides financially penalising the strikers, it will also make flight scheduling far easier for BA once they have derostered all of the strikers and have some degree of certainty over how many staff will be available. Therefore, BA should be able to increase the flight schedule as the strike progresses.
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Thailand
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A trolley-dolly interviewed on TV said she earned £12,000 salary and received no pay for sick leave or normal leave. Sorry, baby, I just do not believe you.
Out of interest the share price rose this morning, so the city is obviously happy. But the International Business Times website appears to know something we don't:
Trade union Unite has called the actions of the airline "vindictive", however the cabin crew workers are also striking over wages, job cuts and working conditions.
Last edited by ChicoG; 24th May 2010 at 09:34.
Join Date: May 2008
Location: XYZ
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just wanted to check the amount of BA flights, that are actually operating today, and noticed, that the Heathrow Airport website doesn't list the previously cancelled flights, I only found 2 or 3 cancelled BA flights at all.
Completely erasing flights from the schedule seems a little odd to me, for example: BA965 HAM-LHR is "cancelled" at the HAM website, but not even listed on the LHR website.
Maybe someone with real insight could provide some facts at the end of the day?
And how does BA crew planning know, if someone will appear at work or be on strike? Have there been confirmed flights, that didn't leave anyway?
Completely erasing flights from the schedule seems a little odd to me, for example: BA965 HAM-LHR is "cancelled" at the HAM website, but not even listed on the LHR website.
Maybe someone with real insight could provide some facts at the end of the day?
And how does BA crew planning know, if someone will appear at work or be on strike? Have there been confirmed flights, that didn't leave anyway?
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: The Basque Country
Age: 75
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Older Cabin Crew
Chico G said:
Agreed Chico
Experience is what you get after making a mistake. Repeating everything that you learned in your first year of flying 25 times doesn't amount to 25 years of experience, IMHO. Ask an old 'Wake me over Windsor' what he/she has learned in the last year and see what response you get.
The young, enthusiastic cabin crew that I have recruited, trained, flown with and managed both in the US and Middle East as well as in the UK would knock spots off the tired old smokes/biddies waving their banners at Bedfont Football Club this morning........
C'mon down you unemployed crew, the water's lovely and the atmosphere on board is fantastic now that BASSA have self-destructed. There's room for everyone!
Who can be replaced in a heart beat by unemployed cabin crew from bankrupt airlines, who have the same experience and qualifications, and would be willing to do the job significantly cheaper than a BASSA CSD?
Experience is what you get after making a mistake. Repeating everything that you learned in your first year of flying 25 times doesn't amount to 25 years of experience, IMHO. Ask an old 'Wake me over Windsor' what he/she has learned in the last year and see what response you get.
The young, enthusiastic cabin crew that I have recruited, trained, flown with and managed both in the US and Middle East as well as in the UK would knock spots off the tired old smokes/biddies waving their banners at Bedfont Football Club this morning........
C'mon down you unemployed crew, the water's lovely and the atmosphere on board is fantastic now that BASSA have self-destructed. There's room for everyone!
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Zulu Time Zone
Posts: 730
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
12 grand a year and no sick pay or paid leave...
For those of foreign location it is worth pointing out that the above scenario is not legal for an employee in Britain. And therefore a complete load of tosh. Anyway it doesn't exactly dovetail with a quote from Bedfont today:
...but then again this whole strike has been nothing if not inconsistent.
We want to keep BA as a premium airline. We're Middle England - we're Marks and Spencer, we're Waitrose. We don't want this to be a race to the bottom.
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Age: 79
Posts: 8,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The lady reporter on the BBC News said she had spoken to some of the strikers who said they "really needed their travel perks".
I truly wonder what planet these people live on?
I truly wonder what planet these people live on?